Electric switch



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. M. .T. 'WBISE.

UNITED {STATES PATENT EETCE.

WILL'M. T. wEIsE, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,914 dated November 16, 1897.

Application filed February 24:, 1897. Serial No. 624,810. (ltlo model.)

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, WILL M. T. \VEISE, of- Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in electric switches,and is intended for use upon party-lines, as will be fully described herein after, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

One object of my invention is to provide a switch for use upon party-lines by means of which a central station can place any one of the subscribers in communication with either of the other subscribers upon the same line or upon'another line and at the same time automatically cut out the other subscribers.

Another object of my invention is to place the apparatus under the control ofthe central station, so that it cannot be interfered with by any of the subscribers.

I Afurther object of my invention is to so construct the subscribers and centrals switches that the operation of the switch at the central station will automatically and correspondingly operate all the switches on the line for either throwing them in or out of the line.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of a system embodying my invention. Fig- 2 is a detached enlarged View of one of the subscribers switches. Fig. 3 is a similar View of the switch used at the central station, and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatical view of the faces of. the cylinders.

.Referring'now to the construction of the subscribers switches, they consist of a base the two brushes 4, and the cylinder 2 is provided with a ratchet-wheel 5.

An armature 6 .coacts with the magnets'and is provided with a pawl 7, engaging the ratchet-wheel, and by means of which the wheel and its cylinder are moved one tooth each time the armature is attracted by its magnets through the closing of the circuit by the switch at the central station, as will be fully explained presently.

' The switch at the central station consists of a cylinder M, having upon the periphery thereof a series of plates, here shown as being twelve in number, and being designated by the numerals 1 to 11, and the'character 0 for. the twelfth plate. Ooacting with this cylinder are the two brushes 8 s, which are connected in a circuit, and these brushes engage the said plates as the cylinder is revolved. Upon the shaft of the cylinder is placed an arm 0, held to said shaft by means of a frictional clutchof a suitable tension to have its outer free end depressed against the tension of spring 2), said spring serving to normally hold the arm upward against the contacts 1) when said shaftis released. shaft is provided with a handle N, through the medium of which it and the cylinder are rotated by the operator at the central station in a manner to be set forth hereinafter. Situated'below the outer free end of the arm 0 are the two contacts g, which are included in a circuit.

The cylinders of each of the subscribers The switches are divided into thesame number phones thereon, which are designated for the purpose of explanation as A, B, O, and D. The telephones are of the usual type or any other that may be desired, and all of the receivers being on their hooks we will suppose that subscriber D rings central through wires 01' d a 70', points 19, and plate 0' of the arm 0, wires 70 a to the usual apparatus on switchboard at central station, back through wires a d into instrument. (Coils of the magnets F being high resistance do not interfere with this operation.) The operator at central then turns the cylinder M of his switch by means of the crank N until the plate 1 of the cylinder has passed the brushes 8 s. The arm being depressed in this operation owing to its friction-clutch contact is made through the plate 0' of said arm and the contacts q. Vhile the brushes 8 s are in contact with the plate 1 of the cylinder, a current will pass from the positive side of the battery or other source of current U through wire 25, brush 3, plate 1 of the cylinder, brush 8, point q, plate 0', point q, wires 1' 7a a d c, magnets F, wires 6, d, a, and Zto negative side of battery U. This current magnetizes the cores of the magnets F, which attracts the armatures of all of the switches in the line and turns their cylinders one notch, or to plate 1 of each cylinder. This brings the brushes of all of the switches in the line to the plates 1 of the cylinders, which places all of the phones in the line or circuit. The crank of the central switch being released, the arm 0 is drawn upward by its spring 12, which closes the circuit through the points 1.), and all of the instruments on the line are in position or condition to talk. D having rung up central asks for the desired number. Then operator will turn central switch in the direction indicated by arrow until plate 11 upon cylinder M has passed brushes 3 s. In the turning of the cylinder M to the said plate 11 the circuit has been closed and opened for veach plate passed, as will be understood, and the armature of the several switches in the line as many times operated, thus turning all the cylinders in unison. The space 11 upon all the cylinders excepting D being blank or unprovided with contact-plates subscriber D will alone be in the circuit ready to be connected with some subscriber on some other line through the medium of the usual switchboard at the central station,the crank having been released, which permits the arm to move upward and close the circuit through the contacts above it. \Vhen the subscriber has ceased using the instrument,the central operator will turn the cylinder M until the brushes 8 and 8' stand on the blank space between the plates 0 and l of said cylinder M, as shownin Fig. 1 of the drawings, causing one impulse in the magnets of all the switches in the line,which causes their brushes to rest in a blank space 0 upon their cylinders, as shown in Fig. 1 also. On the other hand, should D wish to talk with one of the subscribers on the line with him, say B, the operator upon being informed of this will turn his switch until eight contacts have been made, including the first contact, and the brushes of subscribers B and D will rest upon the plate of space 8, thus putting these phones is thus made direct without other 0011- nection at the central station, and all otherinstruments on the line are cut out.

The central switch is here described as arranged for four instruments, and by giving the crank of said central switch one revolution all the switches of the instruments will make the necessary connections successively for moving them in unison, as already described. By increasing the number of plates of this switch there is no limit within reason to the number of subscribers that can be placed upon one line.

Although the invention is here shown in connection with telephones and the claims phrased to cover such adaptation, yet it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the claimed arrangement can be used for power and light circuits without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and the claims therefor.

By means of switches of this character it will be seen that any one or more lights or series of lights on a line can be thrown in or out of the circuit from a central point, as may be desired.

\Vhen the switches are used for light or power lines, the plates upon the switches will be placed relatively different from that shown for use upon telephone-circuits, the construction of the switches being otherwise the same as that used for telephone-lines.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters latcut, is-

1. A telephone system comprising a normally open combined talking and controlling circuit including a rotatable central controlling member adapted to open and close said circuit alternately when rotated, telephones and rotatable switches for the telephones-also included in said circuit, electromagnets also included in and energized by said circuit,magnet-armatures adapted to actuate said telephone-switches a normally closed signal-circuit, and a switch adapted to open and close said circuits alternately, substantially as described.

2. Atelephone system having a main and a ring circuit,a plurality of phones and switches therefor in said circuits, actuating members for said switches in the main circuit, a central rotating switch controlling said actuating members, and a switch controlling the main and ring circuits, a spring actuating the said switch to normally close the ring-circuit, and a connection between the central switch and the circuit-switch whereby when the central switch is moved the ring-circuit is broken and the main circuit closed, substantially as described.

3. A telephone system comprising a main and a ring circuit, a plurality of phones and switches therefor in said circuit, actuating members for said switches in the main circuit, a rotating central switch controlling said actuating members, an arm frictionally held in IIO contact with the shaft of the central switch and having its free end provided with switchplates situated between the two circuits, means for normally holding the arm to close the ring-circuit, the friction of the arm on the switch-shaft being sufficient to overcome the opposing actuating means, whereby the parts operate substantially as and for the purpose described. i

4. A telephone-line havinga main and aring circuit, a plurality of phones and switches therefor in said line, actuating members for saidswitches,a central switch controlling said phone switches, a contact controlling said main and ring circuits, said circuit-contact having frictional connection with said central switch, substantially as described.

5. A telephone-line having a main and a ring WILL M. T. WEISE.

Witnesses:

J. B. MORGAN, O. J. BROWN, Jr. 

